Hyourinmaru's Wielder
by Chasing the Fairy's Tail
Summary: Toshiro Hitsugaya is not an adult. He is merely a child that has had to grow up too early. T for some cursing and violence. I don't own Bleach. There will be few pairings and only implied.
1. Chapter 1

**Good evening! (It's evening where I'm at, please bear with me.) Here's my new story, "Hyourinmaru's Wielder". There are a few things you'll need to know:**

**First: I've read the manga and watched the anime. However, this will be MANGA based, considering that the manga doesn't show much of Hitsugaya's past. **

**Second: I will be taking a few things from the anime, such as the fact that Hitsugaya attended Shino Academy. **

**Third: I will use OCs. Quite a few, actually. However, they do not play that large of a role, though they may or may not appear multiple times. **

**Fourth: I will switch between Japanese and English terms. It depends on what comes to mind first, though. **

**Please read and enjoy. (: If you did, leave a review. Constructive critique is appreciated.**

Toshiro Hitsugaya loved the cold.

It was invigorating. It was beautiful. And it took the shape of something that could be both hard and soft.

Winter was his favorite season, when snow poured down from the heavens. He'd always stay outside, catching the white flakes in his palms, dismayed when they always melted within his hands.

The others thought he was weird, for liking the winter. _It was harsh_, they said, _and white is such a _boring_ color._

_Well, so are you_, he'd think to himself, but he didn't dare say that aloud. No one liked him.

Then they'd add, _it looks just like your hair._

They didn't know that he took that as a compliment. He liked the color white.

During the cold seasons of December, he'd sit out in the snow, wearing nothing more than a few tattered shorts and t-shirts. It wasn't like he had anything else. He'd welcome the cold, watching as his breath came out in white mist. He never caught colds. It was like he'd developed immunity to them.

The other children never joined him, always bundled up in their jackets and scarves, playing close to home.

Toshiro would merely embrace the fact that he was alone and move on. He was used to it, though he had to admit that it was a bit disheartening that no one cared about him. After all, he did live on the streets.

However, whenever he went into the town, people with broken chains coming out of their chests would surround him. Oddly, no one else seemed to be able to see them, and they swarmed around him. Despite the fact that the others couldn't see them, they avoided them.

The chain-people, as he liked to call them, would talk to him occasionally. After a few days, they'd disappear, and he never saw them again.

After he talked to the chain-people briefly, he'd go search for something to eat, a skill he'd picked up when he was younger. In other words, thieving. He always managed to hide his hair and face and then run out with something edible to eat. Then, he headed off into the woods. No one ever followed him there.

On his birthday, he'd always sit outside in the snow, watching the flakes drift down almost lazily. It seemed that whenever December twentieth rolled by, the heavens would slow the snowflakes, allowing him the luxury to watch them, with their pretty designs. When he caught the fragile flakes, it was almost as if the flakes melted slower.

After the last snow of winter melted and gave way to muddy spring, Toshiro would be disappointed. Spring would bring sneezing and allergies. He'd never liked them. The flowers would begin to bloom and animals would wake up from their long sleeping periods.

_Spring is when the baby animals emerge and the pretty flowers bloom, _they would say.

Toshiro would wait patiently for spring to end, enduring sneezing fits and cold rain for the next few months.

Summer was an absolute nightmare for Toshiro.

The heat it brought was unbearable. He loved the cold and would never like the heat. It almost burned, and he couldn't see why the other children loved summer so.

Summer was hot, and the water that had collected during spring began to disappear, making it harder for him to find any at all. He could barely wait for summer to pass.

_Summer is so warm and we can have fun,_ the others would comment.

When the first leaves of fall fell to the ground, Toshiro was excited. Fall wasn't all that bad. It was cool and it meant that winter was on the way.

Fall brought peace and coolness to the air. The children groaned all the time about it, but Toshiro didn't mind. There wasn't anything to complain about.

_Now we can't have fun as much anymore,_ they would moan.

Toshiro would imagine that the falling leaves were snow and catch them. They didn't melt, but they didn't bring that sense of awe to him like snowflakes did. Why should they? They were only dried leaves, dead leaves.

Toshiro could wait for fall to pass, but his heart would pound as he counted the days until winter took its hold on the land.

(PAGE BREAK)

Toshiro was walking through the streets of the town. He'd never bothered learning the name of the town, even if he could read and write. Today was his tenth birthday, but he'd decided to take a walk and chat with the chain-people.

But no matter where he looked, there were no chain-people. Only normal chainless people.

He frowned. That was odd.

Then a shrill shriek pierced the air, and he felt a sense of foreboding. No one else noticed it and continued on their business.

He turned tail and ran.

_I can sense your reiatsu, boy. _

He continued to run, terrified. Toshiro left the town and continued to run, biting back a scream and feeling his eyes water.

Suddenly, he felt something dig into the back of his neck and slash down. Dark spots erupted across his vision.

There was immense pain. Then the cold of the snow enveloped him. He couldn't see.

A triumphant cry came from the creature behind him, and he lifted his head weakly just in time to see a horrific mask of bone before he lost consciousness and heard an audible snap.

(PAGE BREAK)

He opened his eyes to see something lying on the ground, and with horror, he realized it was his own body. Toshiro glanced at his chest and noticed that there was a broken chain hanging there.

He…he…

The creature growled and screeched with laughter, lunging at him and he was terrified. He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything.

That's when a sword came out of nowhere and slashed the creature to pieces. Its laughter faded into pain and it disappeared.

Toshiro collapsed to his knees, shaking with fear.

A woman with orange hair walked towards him, concern in her blue eyes. She knelt down to his height, ruffling his hair.

"Are you okay?"

Toshiro lifted his gaze to meet hers, terror evident in his teal eyes.

The woman sighed. "I'm sorry to say this but…"

He froze, fearing what she would say next.

"…you're dead. You were killed by that Hollow."

Toshiro drew in a deep breath. "So, I'm dead," he whispered.

"You're taking this rather well."

He nodded. "I know…I suppose there's an afterlife, if you're here."

She nodded. "You're quite intelligent, kid."

Toshiro shrugged. "I'm just using my common sense. Now, how am I supposed to reach the afterlife?"

The woman drew her sword again and raised it. "The afterlife isn't much different except for the fact that you're kind of immortal and you don't need to eat unless you have reiatsu, which you certainly have." She smiled kindly. "Don't worry." The hilt of the sword touched his forehead and he felt himself disintegrate. The world faded to black.

_It was nice, dying in winter. I hope the people in the afterlife are kind._

(PAGE BREAK)

When he came to, he was in a forest with slashed trees.

Toshiro sat up, rubbing his eyes. He knew he should've been freaking out about being dead and all but it was probably because his mind hadn't caught up with his body yet.

He took a deep breath. Inhale, exhale. Nope, he was still sane. No complaints there.

Toshiro stood up shakily, grabbing onto a nearby tree for support. It turned out that he didn't really need it. He drew a long breath again.

There was nothing here except cut down trees and snow. He picked up a handful and oddly, the snow didn't melt in his hands. Shrugging, he let it slip between his fingers and headed in a random direction.

There wasn't much danger here other than a few stray branches that he could trip over. He looked around and noticed a small and frozen creek. Excited, he ran over to the area, staring at the frozen water.

Toshiro touched the ice, feeling something stirring deep within him. He closed his eyes and somehow, his imagination cooked up a deep rumbling voice that rolled through his mind.

_A dragon,_ his mind supplied.

Then, his stomach growled. Oops.

Sheepishly, even though no one was watching, he stood up and looked around. He supposed there should've been some kind of food around here.

He sighed. Time to go find something to go eat.

(PAGE BREAK)

A week later, he'd found a little settlement, but soon, he was kicked out within seconds as soon as they saw his white hair and teal eyes.

_Racists._

Toshiro rubbed his eyes. He was tired, and night was approaching. Sighing, he walked through the forest when he tripped over something.

Something black.

When he got up, he heard a faint groan from the lump that he'd tripped over.

"Sorry, did I trip over you?" he asked, genuinely apologetic.

He got a moan and some coughing as a response. Toshiro realized that it was a person wearing the black robes that the woman who'd saved him was wearing.

She was rather petite and had dull yellow hair that was stained with blood. Her black eyes bored into his.

"That's fine," she muttered. "The name's Kaminari." Kaminari smiled sourly.

"Um, Toshiro. Toshiro Hitsugaya," he replied rather nervously. He could see that there was a rather serious wound in her chest.

Kaminari laughed. "It's nice to know that someone knows my name when I'm dying, even if he'd just a child. No one really noticed me. No one really cared about me."

Toshiro felt his heart ache for someone he barely knew, but he had gone through something similar. He didn't know how to act. He'd never watched someone die.

"That's the same as me," he said quietly, mourning silently.

"I changed my name from Hana to Kaminari for a reason. I didn't want to be a little flower that no one noticed. I wanted to be the thunder that everyone would hear," Kaminari said, sadly, rambling. She lifted her sword. "I never even heard my Zanpakuto. I won't ever know what his name is, or even what his gender is."

She looked at him, and suddenly Toshiro felt the sword pressed into his hands. "I hope that you can find out the name of your Zanpakuto. Please carry my dream on," she pleaded, black eyes meeting his. Toshiro felt that he couldn't say no.

He swallowed. "I will." Kaminari was far too similar to him.

Kaminari smiled weakly. "Now leave me so I can die in peace. I hope I reincarnate in a nice place."

Toshiro met her gaze. "I hope so too. I hope you are reincarnated as a successful person and that you'll have a good life, and you won't ever be forgotten."

Kaminari nodded. "Thank you, Toshiro."

Toshiro headed off, casting one more glance at Kaminari before headed off into a sprint, carrying the sword in his hand.

(PAGE BREAK)

Toshiro tripped again.

How the heck was one supposed to use such a long sword? It was his height, for heaven's sake!

Toshiro glared at the sword, which was standing with its point buried in the ground.

It did not give him a glare, merely standing there coolly.

Lately, he'd been having dreams of an icy mountain, where the air was thin and cold. He loved it.

But when he woke up, the clarity of the dream was wiped away by the morning sun.

Toshiro got up again, irritated, and pulled the sword out of the ground. He wasn't bothered by its weight. On the contrary, he found that it was the perfect weight. It was balanced.

But he couldn't learn how to use it without a proper tutor unless he was a genius.

In total, he'd cut himself a total of fifty-four times.

He swung the sword in a large arc and thought about it. Apparently, it left him pretty open if an enemy attacked him from behind. So he should keep it…argh! The thinking was making his head ache.

Toshiro rubbed his temple with his left hand and glared at the sword again.

"Are you being impossible on purpose?" he demanded.

The sword did not dignify his answer with a response. With a disgusted snort, he sat down and placed the sword on his lap.

Toshiro sighed and began to think about it. Maybe he could…Che. That was stupid. He'd give himself a migraine—if that was possible, was it?—if he continued to think that way.

He rubbed his eyes again and got up, fastening the sword to his waist with a piece of twine he'd found a while ago, letting the ungrateful piece of metal drag behind him on the ground.

Time to go explore.

(PAGE BREAK)

The trees loomed above him, and as he walked through the undergrowth barefoot, he felt a strange sense of foreboding, similar to the one he'd felt before that Hollow attacked him. There was probably something dangerous here. His intuition told him to turn back. His curiosity told him to keep going forward.

Which one to listen to?

In the end, his curiosity won over his reason and intuition. What was wrong with him?

Deciding that he was completely insane, he continued on. Toshiro kept a hand on the sword and prayed that he would be able to use it when the time was right. He really didn't want to meet up with one of those Hollow-things when he could barely use a sword.

His footsteps became slow and dragged out as the sense of foreboding nearly overwhelmed his senses.

_Now would be a good idea to turn back,_ his intuition said uneasily.

_No! Go forward. There's something there,_ his curiosity replied.

Was his consciousness seriously that divided? Toshiro fought an urge to slap his forehead.

But his curiosity was slowly beginning to be replaced with fear.

Toshiro gulped and turned around immediately. He could come back later, right? Yes, he would come back when his bravery was a little boosted.

Before he knew it, he was flying over the ground, running as fast as he could. Yeah, his pride was taking quite a bit of damage.

(PAGE BREAK)

December twentieth rolled by again.

That was the fifth year that had gone by and he still hadn't mustered up enough courage to go past those woods. What was wrong with him?

Also, he hadn't grown an inch! Was he going to look like a ten year old for the rest of his life—afterlife?

At least he'd learned how to use the sword. He still sucked a lot though.

Toshiro lay on the snow-blanketed ground, gazing at the sky. He hadn't met a single soul other than Kaminari and the group that had thrown him out since his death.

"It's awfully lonely," he said aloud to break the silence.

A rumble at the back of his mind was his reply. This had happened for quite a while. It was rather strange, but the rumble was rather comforting and he'd gotten used to it.

The snow was cold, but rather nice. It wasn't freezing and brought a sense of comfort to him. It was pretty. And it didn't melt when he touched it.

He sat up, leaning against the tree. The woman who had sent him here had told him he was somewhat immortal. Did that mean he'd be able to reach several thousand years? That'd be rather hard to keep track of.

Now, he was fifteen. Sighing, he rubbed his teal eyes. No use thinking about such trivial matters. The boy stood up, brushing off his clothing, which had become rather threadbare.

Maybe he'd go to the woods.

(PAGE BREAK)

It turned out he waited another month before he worked up the courage to go past the woods.

He felt a twinge of unease as he neared the settlement he'd found after going past the woods. Was this what made him so apprehensive? Just looking at it, he knew that it was. Toshiro kept a hand on his sword just to be a bit cautious.

He entered the settlement and looked around.

There were a few huts and some people—scratch that, a lot of people—were fighting each other.

Oh.

A rather large boy with droopy black hair and a little girl with pink hair were sitting down on a tree stump, watching the fighting go on. It was clear that he was the leader of the little group. He probably fought his way to the top.

"Look! There's a newcomer," said one of the spectators, pointing to Toshiro. To his surprise, he could understand the words.

Toshiro glared at the one he guessed was the leader, trying to stare him down with the frostiest glare he could muster.

"Heh! This one's got spunk, even if he's so small," the other snickered, slightly fazed by the glare but trying to hide it.

"Let's see if he can get in to the Zaraki district!" chirped the pink-haired girl rather cheerfully.

Toshiro was nervous now. They wanted to fight him? What were they thinking? What was _he_ thinking?

"He's got a big sword," noted one of the boys. All of them had stopped fighting.

"Can he use it?"

"Let's see!" shouted a boy with dirty blonde hair. He stepped forward.

"If you wanna join the Zaraki district, you'd better prove your worth!" he said.

Another few joined him. "Don't worry, we won't kill you. Just beat you an inch to death," said one of them.

Toshiro cursed inwardly. What the hell? Were these people crazy?

It turned out that they were serious about it. He barely had time to draw the sword to block a blow from the first boy.

"The name's Shi! It means 'death'! I bring death to all those who oppose me!"

He gritted his teeth. Damn.

As Shi jumped back, one of the other two exchanged blows with Toshiro. "Hello. I am the reaper. I am Karitoriki, or reaper." He had dark blue eyes and spiky dark purple hair.

Karitoriki backed off, allowing the last of them attack. He slid into position behind Toshiro, slashing towards him.

"I am Gosuto." Toshiro managed to dodge his attack at the last minute, earning a scratch on his cheek. Gosuto had midnight black hair and onyx eyes.

Gosuto retreated, standing next to Shi and Karitoriki calmly. "We are brothers who died side-by-side. We specialize in killing," explained Shi. "We will become Soul Reapers once we have become strong enough.

"I wish to become the Captain of the Eleventh Squad, just like Zaraki," Shi continued.

"I would like to be the Captain of the Second Squad," Gosuto murmured quietly.

"I don't mind which Squad I take," Karitoriki added.

"You may have been able to defend, even if only barely, against us one-on-one, but I think you'll find that taking on all three of us is going to be tough," Shi said maliciously, licking the blade of his sword.

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :3 **

**Please read and review! **


	2. Chapter 2

Hi there! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I try my best on these ones. :)

Feel free to ask questions. I may or may not answer them.

Reviewers-

GirlFish

~oOo~

Toshiro took a rather quick breath, clearing his mind.

_Okay. So there are three guys—obviously older and bigger than me—coming towards me. I need to defend against all of them. And I need to beat all of them._

_That sounds as possible as me sprouting wings and flying over a rainbow._

A rumble of annoyance came from the back of his mind. _Please be quiet._

He scolded himself mentally for thinking of such things before assessing his opponents.

Karitoriki seemed to be rather sneaky and clever but didn't have all that much strength behind his attacks. Shi had brute strength and plenty of speed. Gosuto, like his name suggested, was silent and almost transparent and disappearing.

He then noted his own weaknesses.

He was only a beginner when it came to swordplay. While the sword was light in his hands, he couldn't use it well. He'd just begun, after all. He knew that while his sword had a long reach, it was rather hard to use against the other three, who he knew had experience and rather short katanas.

Gosuto slipped behind him, silent as a shadow. _This again?_ He whirled around, his sword following his movement. Toshiro felt the sword connect with flesh and a wince of pain from Gosuto confirmed it. Crimson spattered the ground.

While his back was turned, Shi leaped at him and his instincts told him to move, and so he did. Shi's blade connected with his shoulder, and he gritted his teeth, pulling away from him.

Blood dripped from his arm, slipping down to his fingers. Thankfully it was his left arm.

Toshiro barely raised his sword in time to block Karitoriki's katana, hearing a loud clang as the two weapons collided.

His arms shook as he tried to block Karitoriki's harsh blow, but somehow, the other seemed to be affected by their swords.

He cast a sparing glance at his arm.

_Oh._

The harsh vibrating of his arm was making the swords clatter, in turn harming Karitoriki's arm, even if it was only a little bit. Then, of course, Shi and Gosuto joined in on the onslaught of attacks.

He could only just barely dodge most of the attacks, mostly because of his intuition and for some reason, that rumble at the back of his head. He didn't really understand it but he was grateful to it anyway.

Toshiro went on autopilot, letting the rumbling tell him what to do. Despite this, the other three weren't actually tired, continuing. And he knew that he was going to lose.

Eventually, he did. Eventually was two minutes later.

He found himself on the floor with a dagger at his throat, pinned to the ground. His teal eyes burned into Shi's, who stared at him from above.

"Do you yield?"

"Yes, dammit. I didn't even want to fight," he panted. Despite his words, he actually quite enjoyed the little brawl, even if he did lose.

"Are you sure?"

Before he could retort, someone else butted in.

"That's enough. The kid can join. He did last more than a minute against you three."

He looked up at the guy who spoke, assuming he was Zaraki.

"I wasn't even planning on it," he muttered rather mutinously but made sure that Zaraki couldn't hear.

Then he promptly passed out.

~oOo~

He opened his eyes to see an actual roof over his head. Toshiro sat up and found that his wounds were wrapped in bandages.

"Good morning whitey!" sang a high-pitched voice.

A mess of pink hair entered the room/hut/tent/whatever-it-was. "I'm Yachiru Kusajishi! It's nice to know that there're other kids like me!"

Kusajishi-san seemed rather friendly but hyperactive. "Um…I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya," he replied awkwardly.

She was rather excited. "We can be friends, right?"

Apparently, she wouldn't take no for an answer because the moment he opened his mouth, she sang "YAY" and then jumped onto him.

He winced when she landed on his shoulder. She noticed this and jumped back, settling for a rather happy grin.

"Er, Kusajishi-san?"

"Yeah?"

"How long have I been sleeping?"

"Hmm…I can't really count. Let me go ask Ken-chan." Kusajishi-san jumped out of the tent and he could hear her voice shouting.

She returned. "About three hours," she said. "Come on, let's go play!"

Much to his chagrin, he was pulled to his feet and dragged outside. However, all of the other people in the area didn't look at him funny; on the contrary, they gave him pitying glances.

"Kusajishi-san, where are we going?" he asked when they entered the forest.

The pink-haired girl merely laughed. "We're going where Shi-chan is."

_Okay…so she just called Shi Death-y._

He really didn't want to see the three brothers, who'd obviously handed his ass to him in three minutes.

They entered a clearing with trees all around them. He could see a small creek flowing, and he could guess it was the one he'd found during the winter. Shi, Karitoriki, and Gosuto were sitting by the water, feet splashing in the cool liquid.

He heard a deep rumble of excitement at the back of his mind.

Kusajishi-san let go of his wrist and jumped at Gosuto, who was favoring his left arm.

"You got me pretty good," Gosuto said rather quietly. "We weren't expecting that. You cut to the bone."

Shi grinned. "We thought that you'd only graze his arm. But you're better than we thought. And you also have reiatsu, which must count for something."

"Thank you, Shi-san."

Karitoriki merely kicked his feet in the water, staring into the clear depths. After a moment, he pulled them out. "It's cold."

Toshiro brightened up at the words and sat down, testing it. Kusajishi-san went off, probably to get more people over.

"Not bad," he conceded.

Karitoriki stared at him. "It's freezing and you're saying _not bad?_"

Toshiro shrugged. "I used to take baths in water colder than this in the winter."

After a moment, Karitoriki asked tentatively, "Did you die from pneumonia or something?"

He shook his head. "I was killed by a Hollow. It was about five years ago, on my birthday."

"That sucks," said Shi rather awkwardly.

"Nah. It wasn't that bad. After all, I like the afterlife more than I liked the 'life'," Toshiro responded rather cheerfully.

Gosuto raised an eyebrow. "Really? Even though you got landed with the Zaraki District, and even though you were alone?"

Toshiro tilted his head. "Eh. I enjoy the afterlife. It was better than life. Besides, hanging with you guys isn't as bad as being alone."

Shi sighed and then gestured to the sword, changing the subject fluidly. "Where did you get that, and how did you even learn to use it?"

"I met up with a Shinigami called Kaminari. She gave me the sword because she was, well, dying for a second time."

"And how did you learn to use it?"

"I just figured out a few things. The sword is a nice length and weight."

"Toshiro, do you know that learning how to use a sword is hard work?" Karitoriki asked, quirking an eyebrow. "To teach yourself in less than five years is incredibly hard."

"Really? I didn't know. I've never read anything about sword art." He paused. "Well, I did, but it didn't help much."

"Wow," Karitoriki breathed.

"Hey! Spiky-chan! Ghost-chan! Shi-chan!" called Kusajishi-san. "I brought the stuff you wanted!"

Toshiro turned to see the pink-haired girl carrying several weapons in her arms. She dumped it all off in front of them.

"Karitoriki-san? Is it safe for her to carry those around…?" he murmured to the other.

Karitoriki didn't seem bothered. "Yes. Unless she's brandishing one at you, no. She can kick a lot of the people here's asses. Us included."

The other didn't seem to be kidding so Toshiro merely shrugged it off.

"Thanks, Yachiru-chan," said Shi, taking a weapon from the pile. Toshiro recognized it as the one he'd been using in their fight earlier.

When Toshiro thought about it, the people he'd befriended—or kind of befriended—here weren't all that bad. On the contrary, they were quite kind outside of battle. He smiled inwardly.

The rumble at the back of his mind told him to trust these people, as did his instincts. So he decided to ask a little bit about the world here.

"So, I'm still not understanding the afterlife," Toshiro began. "Can you explain to me what reiatsu is?"

Gosuto had begun to play with Kusajishi-san while Shi and Karitoriki answered his question.

"Well, reiatsu is spiritual pressure. A similar term for reiatsu is reiyoku, which is spiritual energy. All beings with reiatsu can see souls," began Shi.

"If you die and become a soul, you can become a Shinigami if you have reiatsu or reiyoku. All Shinigami are given an asauchi, much like the sword you have over there," Karitoriki added.

"Kaminari mentioned something about hearing the voice of her sword," Toshiro recalled. "What does that mean?"

"It means that a Zanpakuto is being born from your soul," Shi replied.

"All seated officers at least know the name of their sword, which means that they can commune with a second being inside your soul," Karitoriki said.

"Once you know your Zanpakuto's name, you can learn Shikai, which is a release, and Bankai, which is the final release. However, not many Shinigami have Bankai. Only the Captain-level and a few lieutenant-level Shinigami have Bankai."

"Um, what is it like to hear your Zanpakuto?" Toshiro asked, excitement beating within his chest.

"It depends. It could be a rumble, or a murky voice," answered Karitoriki.

Toshiro took a deep breath. "Well, um, sometimes I can hear a rumble in the back of my mind, responding to my thoughts and instincts. It can be a bit annoying at times but it's the reason why I could dodge your blade in the beginning," he said, nodding to Shi at the last part.

"Wow. You really are a genius," Shi said breathlessly. "I am so jealous."

"I can't even hear my Zanpakuto," Karitoriki muttered.

Toshiro smiled sheepishly. "Well, I can't help it. I wish that I knew what my Zanpakuto's name was though."

"It's probably ice-type," Karitoriki put it, shrugging. "After all, you're kind of 'immune' to the cold."

"Ice-type?" he asked.

"Oh yeah! I forgot! Zanpakuto have different types!" said Shi, bringing his fist on his open palm.

"All Zanpakuto have a type. The categories of Zanpakuto are Kidou and Melee," Karitoriki said.

"They are exactly what they sound like. Kidou means 'demon arts', which Shinigami learn to use. They range from level one to level ninety-nine and are in two halves: Binding and Destructive. I don't know much about Kidou, so I won't talk too much about it.

"Anyway," Karitoriki continued, "Kidou can also be separated into two categories: Elemental and Kidou. Elemental is like ice, fire, or lightning. Kidou is technically…Kidou. Melee is just what it sounds like. It is used mainly for fighting, not firing off fancy spells."

Toshiro soaked in every detail. "Wow. Now I really want a Zanpakuto."

Shi nodded. "I know, right?"

"Speaking of which, I think Zaraki went up and challenged Kenpachi Unohana at some point," Karitoriki added. "That was a fearsome battle. They actually tied."

Toshiro knew that the name Kenpachi was meant for extremely powerful swordsmen only. The fact that Zaraki tied with such a terrifying woman meant that he was not to be trifled with.

"I hear that he's going to challenge the Eleventh Division's Captain," Shi added.

Toshiro sighed. "Division? Captain?"

"I keep forgetting that you don't know this stuff!" Karitoriki said.

"Please don't rub it in."

Ignoring Toshiro's comment, Shi began his explanation.

"The Shinigami all join this thing called the Gotei 13. The Gotei 13 is made of thirteen Divisions, all with a Captain at the top and a lieutenant as the second-in-command. There are up to twenty seats afterwards. The Gotei 13 lives within the walls of the Seireitei."

Toshiro nodded. "I understand."

"Also, there's this crazy strong dude called Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto or something. He's really old but he's the strongest dude in all of Soul Society."

"So, is his Zanpakuto strong too?" Toshiro asked.

"Duh! It's apparently the strongest in history!"

Toshiro smiled. "Really?"

There, he decided something.

He decided that he would surpass Yamamoto in at least one way. He knew there was no hope for him to have a Zanpakuto as strong as his. But he knew that he could do one thing: become the youngest Captain history has ever known.

~oOo~

Thus, Toshiro Hitsugaya's adventure in the Rukongai began. Toshiro began to train hard, learning different sword techniques from the three brothers and, surprisingly, Kusajishi-san and Zaraki-san. His sword skills improved greatly with their help.

Despite the fact that he was being trained by five excellent warriors—in both Zanjutsu, as sword fighting was called, and Hakuda, hand-to-hand—he still couldn't defeat half of the group. His solution? Train even harder.

About five years later—he was twenty now. It was strange, being so old yet looking so young—he'd managed to fight his way to the top ranks, earning the respect of many. However, Zaraki Kenpachi had left, killing the Eleventh Division Captain and earning the title of Captain without even taking the test. He took Yachiru Kusajishi with him, and though he would never admit it aloud, he missed Yachiru and Kenpachi dearly.

When Kenpachi Zaraki left, a new leader was chosen. His name was Inazuma. He was a patient man and extremely kind but strict.

It would be five more years before Toshiro officially entered the Shino Academy and became a student.

~oOo~

"You want to spar later?" Toshiro looked up as Shi walked towards him.

"That'd be nice," Toshiro replied, taking another bite out of his pear.

"It's kind of quiet without Yachiru-chan around," Shi remarked, sitting down next to Toshiro.

"Mmm. Kusajishi-san used to always jump on me." Toshiro inwardly laughed at the memory.

"You're still calling her that?" Shi snickered.

"Yes. Is there something wrong?" Toshiro responded, casting a sideways glance at the other.

"Yes, there is something wrong." Shi poked him on the arm. "You shouldn't be calling her that."

"She _is_ older than me," Toshiro argued rather weakly. "And I call you Shi-san all the time."

"That's different. She looks younger than you."

"You know, I'm not going to win this argument." Toshiro finished his fruit and tossed the core at the bottom of a nearby tree.

_It's nice, being like this. It's very peaceful._

The rumble in the back of his head had become a voice. He couldn't hear its name when he asked but he could hold a conversation pretty well, even if the other's words weren't clear and there was often thunder.

"_I agree."_

"_It's kind of strange to be chatting with someone inside my head. I still have not gotten over it."_

"Where's Taiyo-san anyway?" Toshiro asked. "Can't you go bother him instead?"

Shi snorted. "Taiyo's too busy with his girlfriend."

"Since when did he have a girlfriend?" Toshiro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Last year, Toshiro. Guess what her name is."

"Luna?"

"How did you guess?"

"Was that sarcasm, Shi-san?"

"Why, yes!"

Toshiro smirked, finding Shi's antics hilarious as usual.

"Why're you here anyway?"

"Eh, no reason," Shi answered.

"Then go away," Toshiro replied playfully, pushing him. After a moment, he added, "Why don't we go spar now, then?"

~oOo~

The winner was, obviously, Toshiro. Nevertheless, Shi enjoyed the spar.

"I can't believe that I could kick _your _ass when we were younger," he said, snickering.

"Hmm. I seem to recall that you didn't kick my ass. I remembered that I started beating you four years and two months ago."

"You keep track?" Shi exclaimed disbelievingly.

"Yep!"

"You're crazy…"

"Like everyone else."

~oOo~

Toshiro enjoyed sleeping.

Karitoriki and Shi could never understand it, but Gosuto did. It was for a different reason though.

Sleeping was when he could dream. And dreaming was when he could commune with his Zanpakuto. And when he spoke with his Zanpakuto, it was blissful and beautiful.

"You sleep for the dreams?" Karitoriki had asked once.

"Yeah. It's really vivid."

"You're weird."

~oOo~

Toshiro stretched and yawned. It had been a rather tiring day, since at least three people challenged him for a spar.

He headed into the tent that belonged to him. He waved the brothers a goodnight and ducked into the tent.

Lying down, he fell asleep nearly instantly.

~oOo~

_He opened his teal eyes, sitting up to find himself in a world of snow. Flakes of white drifted down almost lazily, landing in his white hair. Toshiro stood up, his bare feet barely noticing the cold. He relished in the beautiful cold._

_A rumble rolled through the sky and Toshiro turned to see his Zanpakuto spirit crouched there, a large majestic dragon of ice. The Zanpakuto tilted his head, regarding him with crimson eyes and Toshiro met the gaze boldly. _

_The gray clouds hovering in the air began to weep water and snow, with the occasional deep rumble of thunder. _

"_Hello, child," said the Zanpakuto, unfurling his wings smoothly. _

"_Er, hello," Toshiro replied, unsure of what to call the dragon. He wasn't afraid of the spirit; on the contrary, he thought it to be the most majestic and stunning being he'd ever seen and probably will see. But he knew the difference in power and merely respected him, and even if the dragon did attack, how would he kill him in a dream? And for what reason? He'd always assumed the spirit was logical, like himself._

"_What should I call you?" he added, tilting his head to look at the dragon and shouting over the storm._

"_You want…know my…?" was the response. He could barely make out a few words. Toshiro assumed the dragon asked him if he wanted to know his name._

"_Yes," he called with conviction._

_The dragon seemed amused. "…name…cannot…storm?" the dragon responded._

_What did the dragon ask him? He didn't really understand what he was saying._

"_I can't hear you!" he shouted._

"…_know…hear me…mature enough…op storm…" _

"_Please! I can't hear you over the storm!" _

_But the dragon merely looked at Toshiro with his piercing red gaze sadly. _

"_Wake up," the Zanpakuto spirit said to him, and even though he said it with such a low tone, he could hear it ringing through his ears. _

"_Wake up, child. You are needed in the real world, and you may not like what you find." The dragon turned and disappeared into the snowstorm, but not before he said a few parting words._

"_Be strong, Toshiro, and find your resolve."_

~oOo~

Toshiro awoke with a start, sitting up as screams pierced the air. The dream he'd just had was longer, more vivid than all of the ones he'd had before. Almost…like a premonition. A bad one.

"Hollows! Hollows! Why aren't there any Shinigami here?" he heard Taiyo scream, anguish in his tone. "Why haven't they come?" Terror coursed through his veins as soon as he heard Taiyo scream those words.

Inazuma's deep voice rang out over the district as souls ran out of their tents. Toshiro looked around, seeing Hollows all over the place.

_Why hadn't any Shinigami came?_ he thought despairingly. _There's no way we can defeat this many Hollows alone!_

He held onto his sword, clenching the hilt so hard that his knuckles turned white. If he would go out, then he'd go out fighting.

Apparently, many others had the same idea, as he wasn't the only one who charged the Hollows head first. He knew it was stupid. He knew that his pride was not going to let him live.

_Be strong, Toshiro, and find your resolve._ The Zanpakuto's words rang in his ears, and when he turned to the souls around him, he knew he couldn't let them die.

For the first time, the Zanpakuto's voice was clear.

"_Congratulations, Toshiro. You have found your resolve. You have stopped the storm raging within your soul." _

Toshiro's teal eyes were absolutely cold as he cut down Hollow right and left. He was a demon with white hair and brilliant teal eyes.

"_Unleash the Guardian within you, Toshiro. Say my name, child. Say my name. You know it, buried within your soul, under centuries' worth of time."_

"Hyourinmaru!" he shouted at the top his lungs, feeling the sword within his hands change, growing slightly longer, its hilt becoming star shaped. It became lighter and seemed like an extension of his soul, which it was.

Power seemed to be overflowing from every single pore of his body, waiting at his fingertips to be used.

And use it he did, unleashing every last bit of his reiatsu, destroying everything in its path.

The power did not discriminate between foe and friend, crashing into everything within a radius of thirty feet.

Toshiro lost hold of his consciousness and felt himself drop to the ground, completely spent.

~oOo~

_Toshiro stared up at the dragon known as Hyourinmaru. Hyourinmaru looked half-amused, half-sad, but most of all, proud._

"_Good job, child," Hyourinmaru said. "You've stopped the storm."_

_Toshiro nodded, feeling strangely different. He didn't understand the feeling._

"_Er, Hyourinmaru-san?"_

"_Yes, child?"_

"_Why do I feel a bit different?" he asked, tilting his head._

"_You just released every single bit of reiatsu you had at the time, which is a lot," Hyourinmaru answered. "Also…you might not like it, but…" The dragon trailed off._

_Toshiro feared the answer, and felt his eyes sting but he forced himself to be strong. Be strong. He could feel a lump at the back of his throat._

"_You've destroyed everything close to you," Hyourinmaru said bluntly, apparently unable to find a gentler way to say it. "In other words, you've killed every single Hollow, soul, and plant around you."_

_He felt as if the world around him had crumbled into dust, and the world around him responded to his emotions. A raging storm swept up, pouring tears of snow, hail, and rain down to the ground, a fierce wind tearing at the landscape. Yet, somehow, in the terrible storm, was Hyourinmaru, sitting there, watching Toshiro scream his agony to the heavens. And he watched as the blue sky hide behind the storm. Hidden, and unseen, yes, but not gone. Hope was hidden behind clouds but it was not gone. _

_No, Toshiro Hitsugaya was not gone yet. _

_And Hyourinmaru would make sure of the fact. He would not lose his to-be master like the ones before him did. The dragon watched, settling down. He would sit the storm out and give comfort to his young charge._

_Toshiro Hitsugaya's mind might have been fragile at the point, but it wouldn't break. It would become stronger. _

_Just as Hyourinmaru hoped._

~oOo~

When Toshiro awoke, he could hear voices.

"Look, he's waking up."

"What, is everything about this child going to be strange? First of all, his hair, now his eyes?"

"Shut up, Kozui! We all know you're an asshole, so stop proving it."

Toshiro felt the hilt of his sword in his hand. A rumble from Hyourinmaru told him that the spirit was still there.

"We all know you're a bitch, Ami, so stop proving it!" Kozui's voice retorted.

"Ami, Kozui, are you two arguing again?" came a third voice.

"Ah, no, Captain Shiba!" the two answered quickly, and when his eyesight focused, he could see the three above him. Ami—the girl—had chin-length auburn hair that framed her face and bright orange eyes. A Zanpakuto was stashed at her waist. Kozui—the shorter one, he assumed—had spiky light blue hair and the same eyes as Ami. His Zanpakuto was stationed on his back. The third one, Captain Shiba, had black hair that was smoothed back and dark eyes. He also had a rather scraggly beard.

"Hey, kid," said Shiba. "How're you feeling?"

Toshiro's teal eyes met with Shiba's, dull and flat. "What do you think?"

He expected to be reprimanded for such a tone, but instead, Shiba grinned like a maniac and laughed. "He's got spunk!"

Shiba turned back to him. "I'm Captain Isshin Shiba of the Tenth. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"

Toshiro turned away from the other by flipping over on his side, inwardly wincing at the pain it caused. "Toshiro Hitsugaya," he replied tonelessly. "What happened?"

"Aww, come on, Toshiro! If you want me to tell you, you've got to turn around!" Shiba said cheerfully.

"Don't want to. I'll ask Hyourinmaru-san then."

Shiba winced audibly. "About that, kid…"

"I know. They're all dead," Toshiro interrupted monotonously. "Hyourinmaru-san told me. Hyourinmaru-san is my Zanpakuto."

~oOo~

Isshin Shiba was shocked.

This kid…he'd already heard his Zanpakuto spirit and knows its name? Unbelievable. Well, it did explain why he was clutching the sword to his chest so resolutely.

Behind him, Ami and Kozui Kawa stifled gasps. Isshin stared at the kid's back, which was thinly covered by a blanket.

This kid was interesting, all right. And he had to make sure to watch the kid carefully. And he had to make sure that Aizen Sosuke never got his filthy hands on the child.

~oOo~

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :) I enjoyed writing it. I hope you enjoyed reading it. It was fun.

Please Read and Review!


	3. Chapter 3

I am a horrible person. I have not updated in a MONTH. OH MAI GOD.

~oOo~

It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would.

Actually, instead of hurting, it was numb.

Hyourinmaru-san told him it was because he was an ice-type Zanpakuto wielder, but the explanation didn't seem to make sense.

He hoped he'd find the answers soon.

He didn't like not knowing.

He then wondered where you went after you died in Soul Society.

~oOo~

For four days he was confined to the cursed bed and they wouldn't let him out of the tent. Ami and Kozui Kawa were constantly bickering and he could hear them shouting at each other from across the camp. (He supposed they were in a camp. After all, he was in a tent.)

Then he'd hear Captain Shiba roar at them to shut up and a couple rather painful sounding thumps. He would've laughed if he'd had the heart to.

On the first day, he merely laid there and said nothing, blocking out the Shinigami's voices.

On the second day, he talked to Hyourinmaru-san.

On the third day, he turned around and asked Captain Shiba, "Where do you go when you die in Soul Society?"

Captain Shiba laughed heartily. "Oh that! We're reincarnated in the World of the Living again!"

"Oh," Toshiro replied.

On the fourth day he asked to go out and was refused.

On the fifth day, he was allowed out by a person named Akane Akiyama.

He swung his legs off the bed, standing up shakily and stretching, surprised at how much his muscles ached from staying in the damned bed for so long. His body was stiff and lethargic, making it hard to move.

Toshiro picked up Hyourinmaru and headed out cautiously, wondering what he'd see.

He noticed multiple tents and Shinigami walking around and talking to each other. But his vision tunneled when he saw a very, very, _very_ familiar person.

"Y-you!" he stuttered, pointing. She turned and headed over to where he was.

"Hey! I remember you!" The strawberry-blonde woman smiled brightly at him and crushed his face into her chest.

He couldn't breathe and started to thrash.

"LET GO OF ME!" he shouted, voice muffled. "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

"Matsumoto, let go of the kid," said Shiba's voice. "You're going to kill him."

"Aww, but he's so cute!" She let go of him anyway.

Toshiro gasped for air. He was certainly _not_ going to join whatever division this crazy woman was in!

"I'm fourth-seat Rangiku Matsumoto of the Tenth Division! It's nice to meet you again!" she said happily as if she had not just almost choked a child to death. (Or someone who looked like a child.)

"How do you know him, Matsumoto?" asked Ami as she walked over.

"I'm the one who saved him from the Hollow and sent him to Soul Society!" she said cheerfully.

"Y-YOU! YOU SAVE ME AND THEN YOU TRY TO KILL ME THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE ME?!" Toshiro snapped, furious.

"He makes a valid point, Matsumoto," Shiba laughed.

"Of course he does. Matsumoto would lose to a slug when it comes to common sense!" Kozui snickered.

"Oh shut up! Just because you're the lieutenant doesn't mean you can be an asshole to everyone!" Matsumoto complained, pouting.

"I'm not the only one who thinks you're an asshole, Kozui!" Ami smirked.

Akane, a girl with light brown hair, stepped out of the tent. "Lieutenant Kozui Kawa, fourth-seat Rangiku Matsumoto, and fifth-seat Ami Kawa! Stop arguing this instant!"

"Shut up Akiyama! You're just jealous of us because you're only seventh-seat!" Kozui shouted at her.

"You little—!" Akane began.

"KOZUI! I told you that you were an asshole!"

"Shut up, Ami! Don't you know any other insults, baka-aneki?"

"Oi, Kozui! Don't insult Ami!" Matsumoto called.

This went on for a while, all revolving around the same topics and plenty of name-calling. Other Shinigami joined in on the "fun", screaming at each other. It included Captain Shiba, too. Toshiro's respect for the man just went missing.

His head was aching from all their yelling.

"CAN YOU PLEASE JUST SHUT UP, CALM DOWN, AND SIT DOWN SO WE CAN HAVE SOME PEACE AND QUIET?"

The other Shinigami froze in their positions abruptly while turning to look at Toshiro. Suddenly self-conscious, his face reddened ever so slightly.

Shiba burst out laughing. "This kid's definitely got spunk!"

"At least you all shut up!" Toshiro turned and headed back into the tent.

~oOo~

"_Hyourinmaru-san? Can you answer why it doesn't hurt?" Toshiro asked, tilting his head._

_Snow drifted from the heavens, coating the ground in white. A gentle breeze tugged at Toshiro's white locks and the once gray clouds turned pure white and fluffy, parting a bit to show the sky. The storm had stopped._

_The dragon merely made an amused sound. "I answered that, didn't I?"_

"_Yes, you did, but I have a feeling you weren't being completely honest."_

"_You'll find out in due time, Toshiro. I promise."_

"_Okay." _

~oOo~

A few days later, Toshiro was feeling a lot better. He wasn't so stiff anymore and he could start sparring. He couldn't wait, even if it reminded him of Shi and all the others.

But he'd keep moving on.

"Akiyama-san?" Toshiro swept his feet off the bed, looking around for the seventh-seat. She was usually standing around his tent.

"Are you looking for Akane?" A teen (or someone who looked like one. You could never tell with Shinigami.) poked his head into the tent. He had bright blue eyes and black hair.

"Um, yes," Toshiro replied.

"She's out hunting Hollows right now. I'm third-seat Haruki Kita." He smiled warmly.

"Er, Toshiro Hitsugaya. It's nice to meet you?" He disliked how it ended in a sentence. Haruki seemed like a nice guy.

Haruki seemed not to notice. "Why were you looking for Akane anyway?"

"Er, well, I'm supposed to get permission to get out or else she freaks," Toshiro said awkwardly, remembering what happened a few days back.

"Oh, okay. I'll tell her."

"Thank you, Kita-san."

He stepped out of the tent, looking around for someone to spar with. Hyourinmaru rumbled in his mind, anxious for a fight.

_There!_ He caught sight of Ami, the fifth-seat and headed over.

"Oh, hey Toshiro. Is there something you wanted?"

"Er, I feel like I'm getting out of practice. Can we spar a little?" he asked.

Ami grinned and ruffled his hair. "Why not?"

"Hey, don't do that," he complained without much heat in it.

~oOo~

Ami ended up winning but it was pretty close.

"Hey, you're pretty good," she said, laughing breathlessly. "If you were in top condition, I'm sure you would've beaten me."

"Don't go easy on me, Kawa-san!" Toshiro snapped in reply.

"Hey, I was not!"

"I can tell. And Hyourinmaru-san said so too."

Ami laughed. "Okay, okay! I was going easy on you. I'll help you train for the next few days. We're heading back soon."

Toshiro tilted his head. "Do you have any idea where I'm going?"

Ami thought a moment. "Captain Shiba said that he might send you to Shino Academy. You can learn plenty about being a Shinigami there. You'll be there for six years. However, Lieutenant Gin Ichimaru broke the record at about two years."

Toshiro nodded. "Thank you, Kawa-san."

"No problem. I'll ask Captain Shiba to help you train too."

~oOo~

Shiba did actually decide to help, along with the other Shinigami. He was pretty glad for it.

His skills were honed a bit more, but his improvement wasn't quite as great as when Zaraki and Yachiru taught him, but he kept that to himself.

~oOo~

Shiba pulled him aside for a bit after a few days.

"Is it okay if you go to Shino Academy?" he asked seriously.

"Yes, it's fine. Ami Kawa-san told me about it," Toshiro replied.

"You'll be a bit younger than the standards ask for, Toshiro. Be careful, okay?" Shiba smiled and ruffled Toshiro's white hair.

"Hey, stop it!" he complained but nodded.

~oOo~

His first impression of Shino Academy: It was big.

He lost his breath when he saw the large building, swiveling his head around to see everything.

There had to be hundreds of other souls there, milling about and chatting.

Akane had been the one to take him to the Academy, and he was glad. Haruki would've been fine too, but Akane had this feeling about her that made him calm his nerves.

"The term's already started for a month now," Akane told him. "But I'm sure you'll be fine. After all, you've got a good brain in that head of yours." She smiled and rapped her knuckles against his head gently. Akane was strict but kind.

They headed into a large room and Toshiro looked around, seeing several adults (probably) walking around and talking. When they saw Akane, they nodded respectfully.

"Hello, Akiyama-san. What can I do for you today?" asked a tall man.

"Toshiro, this is Hideyoshi Miyamoto. He's one of the teachers at Shino Academy, and is standing in for Gengoro Onabara," Akane told him.

Toshiro bowed respectfully. "Good morning, Miyamoto-sensei."

Hideyoshi glanced at Toshiro and then turned his gaze to Akane. "Isn't he a bit young to enter the Academy, and why a month into the term?"

Akane's eyes narrowed. "Is there a problem with that?"

Toshiro remained silent the whole time.

"Yes, of course!" Hideyoshi snapped.

"Listen, he doesn't have anywhere to go. He needs to control his reiatsu. My Zanpakuto only helps a bit," Akane said coldly.

"Then why don't you put him in a district?"

"We cannot. His was wiped out."

"How?"

"That is classified information."

Akane ended up winning the argument.

"But he'll need to take a few tests in order to enter Shino Academy," Hideyoshi added.

"I assure you, he'll pass all of them," Akane said.

~oOo~

The next day, Toshiro arrived with Akane again, sitting down on a seat when he was instructed to.

"Hello, Toshiro Hitsugaya-kun. My name is Hikari Oshiro. I will be testing you today."

Hikari Oshiro was a woman with blonde hair and black eyes and glasses. She had a warm smile and light freckles adorned her face.

"Good morning, Oshiro-sensei."

Hikari smiled. "Now, please relax and meditate. It will be similar to falling asleep."

Toshiro obeyed, slipping into a trance.

Minutes later, he felt his shoulder being shaken. He was jolted awake. Frost coated his seat and the floor around him.

Toshiro's face turned a light shade of pink in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," he apologized immediately.

Hikari merely laughed. "Don't worry. Be glad you do not have a fire-type Zanpakuto. If you did, you'd have burned the room down with your reiatsu."

"Thank you, Oshiro-sensei."

"You passed the first test. Your next one is to see whether you're suited for combat."

Akane interrupted.

"You do not need to test that. He already knows the name of his Zanpakuto and he is on the way to learning Shikai. He has also been trained personally by Captain Shiba of the Tenth."

"Um, I learned from Captain Zaraki and Lieutenant Kusajishi before too," he said quietly.

"It explains why you're so good," Akane said briskly.

Hikari closed her mouth.

"Oh, okay. Then we can take the paper test." She slipped a piece of paper to Toshiro, who cocked his head.

"_Toshiro, that's a test. Write in the answers."_

"_Oh. It's just that I've never really written anything before."_

"_Calm down. It won't be too hard. I'm not giving answers, by the way."_

He picked up a brush and started to write. The test wasn't too hard, given that he could figure plenty of things out and his friends had taught him plenty about Seireitei. Captain Shiba had filled him in on it too.

Within thirty minutes, he finished his paper with surprising ease. The kanji and romaji for Japanese had slipped into his mind.

Hikari picked up the paper and read through it, marking a few things.

"You passed," she said, trying not to be too astounded. "You got more than half of these right."

They then moved on to Kidou, which Toshiro had no idea how to use.

She dismissed him.

Toshiro nodded. "Thank you, Oshiro-sensei. Will I see you for class tomorrow?"

Hikari shrugged. "You may or may not, depending on where they put you."

Toshiro stood and bowed. "Thank you," he said again and turned to leave with Akane.

~oOo~

"You did well, Toshiro!" Akane said, ruffling his hair. "You're going to be a Shinigami in no time!"

Toshiro blushed. "Thank you, Akiyama-san. I hope I see you again!"

"Will you be joining the Tenth Division?" Akane asked.

"I don't think so. Matsumoto's going to kill me there. I think I'll settle for the Eleventh Division," Toshiro told her.

Akane nodded in understanding. "Alright then."

~oOo~

The day after, he was given a uniform (which had been trimmed down, thankfully, so it wasn't too big; he'd look like a total fool if it was) and he was walked to class by Hikari. The uniform had a strap he could put Hyourinmaru on so he didn't have to drag him.

He glanced at his schedule, quite nervous. Apparently, he'd been put in the third year for Zanjutsu, first for Kidou, second for Shinigami Studies, and first for flash-step. First, he had Zanjutsu, which he was heading to. Then he had Kidou (he remembered that vaguely) afterwards and Shinigami Studies and Flash-step after lunch. So it wasn't too long.

He pushed the door open, thankfully not late; the class had not yet started. Toshiro looked around in the spacious room curiously, noticing several students sitting on the ground and several Asauchi lying on the floor. That really irked him; Asauchi had souls too.

The instructor—he guessed—was standing at the front of the classroom, apparently waiting for the rest of the students to arrive. According to Hikari, he was Hiroshi Saito. He had dark brown hair and gold eyes.

He scurried in, incredibly nervous and wishing that Akane were here; her presence was quite calming.

The other students stared at him as he made his way to the back of the classroom. Other students began to file in, all glancing at Toshiro.

Hiroshi coughed once all of the students had assembled, silencing their chatter.

"Good morning," he said.

"Good morning, Saito-sensei," the class chanted back.

"As you're probably all aware, we have a new student. He has passed the entrance exam." Hiroshi gestured for Toshiro to stand up and go to the front, which he did rather stiffly.

"Um, I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya. It's nice to meet you…" he said quietly. He hated attention; why did they have to give it to him? Urgh…he'd kill to have Akane around right now…

He bowed and practically ran to the back of the classroom. He hoped he wasn't too far behind in class.

A student raised her hand.

"Suzuki?" Hiroshi gestured for the student to go on.

"If it's his first day, why is he in the third year?" she asked.

"There was a test, if you remember," Hiroshi said. "He was not tested specifically on Zanjutsu but the person who brought him stated that he was perfectly fine to be in a higher class. Now, do you want class to start or not?"

The girl nodded. "Thank you. Now go get your Asauchi. We're going to start," Hiroshi snapped.

Toshiro, instead of heading where the other students were, walked to Hiroshi.

"Um, Saito-sensei, should I use my Zanpakuto or one of your Asauchi?" he asked in a low voice.

"Use yours or mine, whatever. Your pick," Hiroshi said carelessly. "Now go back to where you were."

Toshiro went back, sitting down with Hyourinmaru across his lap.

After the other students finished picking up their Asauchi, Hiroshi began assigning people to spar with each other. He was paired with the girl called Kaede Suzuki.

He swept a short bow. "Hello, Suzuki-san."

Kaede had shoulder-length brown hair with golden streaks running through it. Her eyes were like leaves and they seemed to size him up. A medium length Asauchi was in her hand.

"Che. Good morning, Hitsugaya-kun."

Toshiro let his arm drift to the side, Hyourinmaru gripped loosely in his hand. He was about to ask whether they should start when Hiroshi shouted, "Begin!"

Kaede made the first move, lunging at him. Without much effort, he took a step back and blocked, hearing a clang as the two swords clashed. He pushed, forcing Kaede to stumble back.

He watched rather lazily, waiting for her to make another move. She dashed forward, slashing, and he continued to defend and dodge, finding a pattern in her attacks.

She always started by slashing at his left and stabbing at his right. Then she would make her way to his right and jump back.

_Come on, come on, come on…_

There! He caught the hilt with his sword and sent the blade flying with a harsh flick of his wrist, embedding itself into the ground a little bit away. Surprise lit up her green eyes as she found herself with a sharp blade resting on her shoulder.

"How—?"

"You set up a predictable attack pattern," he explained. "I merely figured it out after defending a few times."

He withdrew Hyourinmaru and waited, taking a step back.

Kaede was still gaping.

"What do we do after we finish sparring?" Toshiro asked innocently.

Kaede closed her mouth abruptly before answering. "We talk to Saito-sensei."

She marched to the instructor with Toshiro following suit. The other students were all too occupied with their own fights that they didn't notice.

Hiroshi was snapping at a couple of students.

"Your hold on your sword is far too loose! What happens if an enemy flicks it out of your hand? Then you'll be sword-less!" he ranted. He turned to the other student. "And you! Your attacks are far too weak! Your blade wouldn't even cut my finger!"

Kaede looked bored as if she were used to it, which she probably was. Toshiro decided that he would get used to it too.

He tilted his head before stepping forward and tapping Hiroshi lightly on the shoulder. "Saito-sensei?"

The two students seemed quite relieved at being saved from Hiroshi's loud yelling (screaming).

Hiroshi turned. "What?"

"We finished sparring," he said quietly.

"Already? Hasn't even been ten minutes yet."

"Yes, but he's good, better than I expected," Kaede cut in brusquely.

"Not often you say that, Suzuki," Hiroshi said.

"It's true," Kaede replied coldly.

Hiroshi eyed Toshiro in a way that made him feel slightly nervous.

"Y-yes?" he asked, spooked.

"I want to talk to you later, after class," he said. "I'll tell your other teachers the circumstances." Hiroshi turned back to the two students.

"_Hyourinmaru-san?"_

"_Yes, Toshiro?"_

"_Do you have any idea what Saito-sensei might want?"_

"_No idea. His Zanpakuto is telling me nothing."_

"_Oh."_

Toshiro sat down in the back of the classroom, calmly observing the other students' spars. They were all pretty good but he could easily see holes in their defenses. But then again, he had to see them because his first mentor was Kenpachi Zaraki and when he teaches you, you do not slack off unless you wish to be skewered by a Zanpakuto.

He supposed the world would end when Kenpachi got a Shikai, then Bankai.

(It happens a few centuries later but, you know, the world hasn't ended yet.)

A while later, the other students all went up to speak to Hiroshi and sat down afterwards after being chewed out. Why he and Kaede weren't, Toshiro had no idea.

His classmates gave him strange looks but he ignored them.

~oOo~

After class, he stayed behind as Hiroshi had requested.

"Um, do you need anything, Saito-sensei?" Toshiro asked meekly.

Hiroshi crossed his arms. "Who exactly were your mentors?"

The question caught him off guard. "Um, well, Zaraki-san and Kusajishi-san were my main tutors, though I had a few friends helping me. Also, Captain Shiba and a few of his seated officers helped a bit…"

Hiroshi's eyebrows disappeared in his hairline. "You've got quite a few skilled mentors, Hitsugaya."

"Yes, I know. But I still can't beat even seventh-seat Akiyama-san…"

Hiroshi sighed. "Alright, go on to your next class," he said, passing a piece of parchment to Toshiro. "Give that to your teacher." The next class had already begun.

"Thank you, Saito-sensei." Toshiro turned and headed outside to his next class.

~oOo~

Kidou was interesting.

When he opened the door, he saw various students studying papers, murmuring words to themselves.

Toshiro walked up to the teacher and passed her the slip of parchment, which she read quickly.

She nodded to him. "I'm Chiyo Fujioka. Go sit next to Hashimoto-kun over there." Chiyo pointed to a boy with dark hair and handed him a piece of paper. Toshiro obeyed, sitting down wordlessly next to him.

Kidou would be boring for the time being.

~oOo~

Lunch was uneventful with him sitting down a little bit away from the other students.

Shinigami Studies with Hinata Kimura-sensei was boring, though the teacher did occasionally yell arbitrarily to catch the students off guard, but Toshiro had managed to stay awake the whole time and only fell out of his seat four times.

Flash-step, though, was great.

~oOo~

Hiroto Kawaguchi-sensei was a great teacher; he was funny and patient.

Toshiro liked him quite a bit.

When he headed out to the yard where they would be taking class, he saw Hiroto laughing and joking with his students, his smile warm and bright.

Yes, he was a nice teacher.

"Today, you're all going to flash-step one hundred meters," he told them. "Normally, people can run it in about ten to twenty seconds, so I'm expecting you to at least reach nine seconds, okay?"

As a reminder, he explained the basics of flash-stepping, which most of the students merely rolled their eyes at but Toshiro had a feeling that it was meant for him.

"Toshiro-kun, come with me," Hiroto said, and Toshiro nodded mutely, following the instructor.

He learned a bit of how to flash-step, and to his surprise, it wasn't all that hard. Despite not being able to do it that quickly, he was pleased that he wasn't the slowest in the class. Toshiro decided to practice it a bit more on his own so he could implement it in his fighting.

~oOo~

Toshiro looked around the busy hallway, hearing yawns all around while suppressing his own. His room was somewhere in this hallway…F1, F3, F5, F7, F9… There! F15. He opened the door, finding the room quite small and cozy, which was to his liking.

It was a bit dusty, but he could clean it out later. It was small, but he didn't mind; he only had a couple of the necessary items, a clean change of clothes, and Hyourinmaru, so he didn't need much room. He brushed off a desk, setting his things there.

He could get used to this, then.

~oOo~

SORRY SHORT CHAPTER.

DX Oh my god I'm so sorry.

I hope the next update will be sooner…oh god, oh kami!

OCs…OCs everywhere…

Most of them won't play large roles, I PROMISE. I PROMISE.

I used Bleach Wiki's information, okay? So it might not be that accurate.

Also, Kusaka appears in the anime ONLY, so do not expect him in this fanfiction. SO DON'T KILL ME!


	4. Chapter 4

Ohayo, everyone!

(It's morning where I am, okay?)

As usual, I come out with a late post… Sorry 'bout that.

Anyway, here's the latest installment of Hyourinmaru's Wielder!

(Note: Last chapter was hastily written. I really need a beta, can someone volunteer?)

~oOo~

Strangely, Zanjutsu wasn't his favorite class.

Flash-step was.

Toshiro supposed it was because Zanjutsu was way too easy for him, despite the fact that he just moved up to the fifth year last week.

Unsurprisingly, Kidou was his least favorite class; he sucked epically at it, much to his embarrassment. Hyourinmaru couldn't stop laughing at him. He could barely do _Sai_ efficiently, let alone the other spells.

Shinigami Studies was pretty boring, so he really had no opinion on it.

~oOo~

Apparently, in Zanjutsu, you learned Hakuda in the fifth month of training; or at least, how to defend against it. In flash-step, you did just the opposite.

Another reason why he liked flash-step.

~oOo~

Toshiro opened his eyes, rubbing them to wake up a little. He'd been feeling shier than usual since he'd enrolled in the Academy.

But today, he wasn't just feeling shy; he was feeling irritated, sad, and angry, all rolled into one.

He really wished Akane was here.

"_Hyourinmaru-san?"_

"_Yes, child?"_

"_I don't understand why it's becoming a problem," _he said, frustrated.

Hyourinmaru merely laughed. _"You're creating quite a storm here. Akane's Zanpakuto, _Akaiame_, is a water-type Zanpakuto with temporary healing attributes, both physical and mental."_

"_Oh, I see. What's Akaiame like?" _

Hyourinmaru paused. _"She's kind but incredibly sharp-tongued."_

Toshiro managed a laugh. _"Sounds like Akiyama-san herself." _

"_Zanpakuto _do_ reflect their owners, you know. And you need to get rid of that habit of calling everyone else 'san', child."_

"_I know, I know, I'm working on it,"_ Toshiro responded sourly. _"Can't help it though."_ Pausing, he scowled and added, _"Why didn't you tell me about this earlier, when I asked?"_

"_Because it is amusing to see your reaction, child."_

Toshiro glared at nothing in particular.

"_Besides, when are you going to teach me Shikai anyway?"_

"_When you're ready."_

"_And I'm not ready now?"_

"_No."_

'_Rrgh." _

~oOo~

Toshiro sighed, rubbing his face.

In less than half a year, he'd progressed to fifth year, and Hiroshi really didn't want to put him in the sixth, despite the fact that he exceeded his classmates by a lot.

His flash-step was coming along nicely too, and he'd managed to practice enough to reach year four, despite starting in year one at the beginning of the year. Shinigami Studies was _easy_ (it was just memorizing dates and all) and he'd made it to fifth year, even though all the other students struggled.

Seriously, what was so hard about remembering a couple hundred dates, what happened, and who did what?

He'd begged Hiroshi to let him move on to the sixth year in Zanjutsu, but he'd refused.

"_Hyourinmaru-san, what should I do?" _Toshiro moaned.

"_Don't worry, he'll move you up soon,"_ the dragon merely replied, which Toshiro noticed wasn't really a response.

Lunch was terrible too, after a few weeks.

The gossip mill had been working like crazy about him, and people constantly tried to talk to him, much to his irritation. They were all asking stupid questions like _who taught you?_ or _how are you so smart?_

It was really starting to grate on his nerves; he supposed it was part of the reason why he didn't make any friends at the Academy.

~oOo~

"_Please_, Saito-sensei!" he begged, clasping his hands together as if in prayer. "I really want to move up!"

It was lunch break, and he'd finished his lunch quickly to avoid the crowds, coming back to the Zanjutsu classroom.

"I said no," Hiroshi grumbled, sighing.

"_Hyourinmaru-san, help me!" _

"_What am I supposed to do, anyway?"_

"_Oh, I don't know! Maybe you could talk to his Zanpakuto?"_

Hyourinmaru laughed.

"Please, Saito-sensei!" Toshiro attempted his best "puppy-dog eyes" (which he learned from Yachiru, and they worked pretty effectively against Zaraki, surprisingly.)

Hiroshi looked quite bemused at Toshiro's "puppy-dog eyes", looking torn.

"I'll…I'll _think_ about it. No promises though."

"YES!"

~oOo~

"_You should thank me, child,"_ said Hyourinmaru as Toshiro left the Zanjutsu classroom practically glowing.

"_Huh? Why?"_

"_I talked to his Zanpakuto."_

"_Oh. Thank you, Hyourinmaru-san."_

"_You're welcome."_

Toshiro paused.

"_Hey, you're always telling me to stop using 'san'. When I use it for you, you never react. What's with that?"_

"_It's because I'm better than everyone else,"_ Hyourinmaru responded cheekily.

"_If I didn't exist, you wouldn't."_

"_Dang, you're right."_

Toshiro smirked inwardly.

"_Ha! Got you there, stupid dragon."_

~oOo~

Three days later, Toshiro was allowed to go into the sixth year for Zanjutsu.

He practically cheered.

~oOo~

Toshiro walked into class, his schedule now changed beyond recognition—the times were all switched up and longer, since he'd been going up in classes.

(In other words, he had Shinigami Studies first, Kidou second, then lunch, and Flash-step and Zanjutsu.)

Used to all the blatant staring, Toshiro took his normal seat at the back of the classroom, Hyourinmaru in his lap. Looking around cautiously, he noticed that a handful of the students had their own Zanpakuto; much more than in the fifth and fourth year classes.

Hiroshi, at the front of the classroom, called for their attention, and class began.

He paired the students together to spar before they did a little meditating—apparently they were still getting to know their Zanpakuto, much like Toshiro himself. Despite the fact that he spoke with Hyourinmaru often, he didn't know much about him.

"Hitsugaya, you're with Hinamori."

Nodding, Toshiro stood with Hyourinmaru in hand, approaching Hinamori.

"Er, hello," he said awkwardly, still unused to socializing. "I'm, um, Toshiro Hitsugaya. It's nice to meet you."

Hinamori smiled easily. "I've heard about you, Hitsugaya-kun. It's nice to see you in person," she replied kindly. "I'm Momo Hinamori."

Strangely enough, Momo seemed sincere, unlike some others who just admired him for his intelligence.

"Shall we, er, start?" Toshiro said awkwardly.

Momo nodded, and drew her Asauchi.

They crossed blades for a little bit, and he realized he enjoyed sparring for once; he hadn't had this much trouble when sparring for a while now, and he felt nice, practicing for real.

He still ended up winning, but at the end, he was slightly out of breath.

Nice; she was pretty good.

They were still the first pair to finish, though, and Hiroshi barely looked surprised when he saw Toshiro and Momo heading over to him.

After reporting to Hiroshi, Toshiro sat down at the back, focusing and falling into a slight trance, careful not to release his reiatsu.

Once in his spirit world, Toshiro felt quite relaxed.

"It's interesting how you made a friend with someone as fiery as her."

Toshiro glared at the dragon when he opened his eyes.

"That's the first thing you say?" he snapped.

Hyourinmaru laughed, making Toshiro glare harder.

"Besides, we're not friends, you big fat dragon!"

The ice dragon, settled down, seemed to raise an eyebrow (if he had one). "Are you really that bent on not having friends, child?"

"Is there something wrong with that?" Toshiro snapped back, trying hard not to remember what had transpired not too long ago.

No longer teasing, Hyourinmaru sighed. "Yes. Yes there is something wrong with that," he responded. "Just because you lost your old ones doesn't mean that you can't make new ones. Open up a bit, child. Honor their memory. Don't pretend they don't exist. You can't possibly hope to become stronger if you fear me."

Toshiro opened his mouth to object, but the dragon cut him off.

"You can't become stronger if you fear that you'll hurt the others around you, child. You need to accept them, accept the fact that you killed your friends, accept the fact that they are not coming back until they die again. If you think that building an icy mask is going to help any, you're wrong. If you want that guilt to be gone, you're going to have to _accept_ it and let someone else help you. You aren't alone, child."

Hyourinmaru glared at the trembling child before him. "You're going to have to deal with it, and it doesn't matter that you're trying to hide your feelings. I am _you_, and you cannot hide from yourself."

~oOo~

Toshiro was startled into consciousness when he felt someone roughly shaking his shoulder.

He opened his eyes immediately, suddenly realizing that ice coated the area around him. Embarrassment flooded through him from head to toe as he reined in his reiatsu.

Hiroshi's stern face was right in front of his.

"Is there something wrong, Hitsugaya?"

Immediately, Toshiro shook his head furiously. "No, no, it's okay. Hyourinmaru-san just…brought up some bad memories."

He could feel the curious stares from his peers.

"Class is over, Hitsugaya. Go back to your room and get some rest. You look terrible." Toshiro took that as his dismissal, and he scampered out, followed by a few lingering students.

Why did Hyourinmaru have to bring that up?

~oOo~

He felt absolutely terrible.

Hyourinmaru had spoken to him about it again, and it wasn't making him feel any better, even though he knew the stupid icy dragon was right.

Ice had coated his bed, which he wasn't all that surprised about. He thawed it out quickly.

Toshiro didn't want to go to class, but he got up anyway; when he went through Shinigami Studies and Flash-step, it was half-hearted, though the other students didn't notice. (The instructors did though.)

During lunch, he hung out in the corner, alone, until he saw Momo coming over, much to his surprise.

"Hello, Hitsugaya-kun," she said warmly.

"Hello, Hinamori-san," he responded absently.

Her brown gaze looked him up and down. "Are you okay?"

The question caught him off guard. "Huh?"

She repeated the question, "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yes," he replied quietly. "I'm fine."

"You don't look like it," Momo pointed out.

They hadn't even known each other for a day and she could tell?

"_And yet you say you aren't friends."_

"_Go away, Hyourinmaru."_

"_At least you dropped the –san."_

Toshiro sighed. "It's just that, well, a certain someone"—he glared at his sword, which was sitting innocently on his lap—"mentioned some unhappy things and I really don't want to think about them."

Momo smiled. "Well, at least you can talk to your Zanpakuto. I have no idea what mine thinks, or what his or her name is," she said.

Toshiro snorted. "Yes, that's true, but your Zanpakuto often gives you unwanted opinions and stupid comments."

"_Hey!"_

"My Zanpakuto happens to be a stuck-up little dragon."

"_You little—!"_

"He sounds kind of cute. I mean, baby dragons are cute, right?"

"—_what?"_

"…I think you have the wrong idea."

~oOo~

The days rolled by, and Toshiro's relationship with Hyourinmaru didn't improve, only worsening when the dragon forced him to relive the memories.

In other words, Toshiro was farther than ever from reaching Shikai.

Somehow, Momo had wormed her way into his life as he continued to exceed in all subjects except for Kidou, which he found out that Momo was incredibly good at, thus receiving her tutoring at lunch and after classes. She introduced her friends, Izuru Kira and Renji Abarai, to him, though it was quite awkward for Toshiro.

She'd greet him in the morning, waving hello as their paths crossed before class. During lunch she'd sit with him, dragging Izuru and Renji with her. Then during Zanjutsu, they'd chat a little before and after sparring.

Under Momo's tutelage, he progressed to year three, surprising Momo quite a lot.

Toshiro realized that he wanted to finish everything in under a year.

He wondered why.

~oOo~

"_You still believe you and the girl, Hinamori, aren't friends? I'd go as far as to say that you're friends with the other two, Kira and Abarai."_

"_Go away, Hyourinmaru," _he snapped.

"_You've dropped the –san after everything,"_ noticed Hyourinmaru, and he didn't fail to point it out. _"If there's one thing that's good about our little spat, then it's the fact that you've stopped being submissive; more aggressive, like a dragon."_

"_Go away, Hyourinmaru,"_ he growled. _"I don't want any friends."_

Hyourinmaru acted as if he never spoke. _"You're stubborn though; I guess it would've been better if you're a little humbler around me while you embraced it."_

Toshiro was getting ticked, very, very ticked. _"Go. Away. Hyourinmaru."_

Hyourinmaru laughed, and retreated into the recesses of Toshiro's mind.

"_That's a lot better."_

~oOo~

"Hitsugaya-kun?"

Toshiro looked up when he heard Momo call his name. "Huh?"

"I was just wondering, are we friends?"

_Oh good god, she sounds like Hyourinmaru now._

"_Is that a good thing? You can't say no without looking rude now, child."_

"_Shut up."_

Toshiro averted his eyes, feeling incredibly nervous and twitchy. "Um, er…"

Momo tilted her head, looking at him with warm brown eyes.

"Ah…"

"_You won't be able to stall for much longer, child."_

"It depends on what you, um, call a friend," Toshiro blurted out quickly, and he could feel Hyourinmaru's smugness fade, replaced with surprise.

"_Tricky little dragon."_

Momo didn't look the least put out.

"Well, I consider you a friend," she declared.

_Wait, what?_

"Wait, what?"

"A friend is someone you care about and cherish!" said Momo cheerfully. "I care about you and I cherish our friendship."

Toshiro felt heat rush to his face.

_Did she really just say that…?_

"Um, well, I guess, er, we're, um, friends?" Toshiro managed, trying to ignore the annoying laughter that Hyourinmaru was releasing.

"_Shut up shut up shut up shut up!"_

"_Ha-ha-ha-ha!"_

"_SHUT UP!"_

"Hyourinmaru is laughing at me," he muttered, and Momo laughed.

"Not you too!"

~oOo~

During Zanjutsu, Toshiro didn't dread meditating quite as much now, oddly.

Well, not oddly, since he and Hyourinmaru resolved that whole "friend" thing with Momo. But still, he wouldn't back down without a fight.

"_Just like a little feisty dragon."_

"_Shut up."_

Toshiro entered his inner world, sighing.

"So, you finally admit that you can have friends?" Hyourinmaru asked, amused.

"Che. We're not friends! I just said that because if I didn't, she'd be upset!"

"Why would you care?"

Toshiro opened his mouth to respond but closed it. _Why do I care?_

"See, you're friends," Hyourinmaru said smugly.

"Shut up, stupid dragon."

"You didn't deny it, child."

"Shut up, stupid dragon."

"You know, I can only take that derogatory remark so much, child."

"…fine, we're friends. Are you happy now, you stubborn dragon?"

"I'll take it out on you when I teach you a little, child. But yes, yes I am a bit happier," said Hyourinmaru.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"…So, can I learn Shikai now?"

"No," said Hyourinmaru, and Toshiro could've sworn the dragon was laughing as he exited his inner world.

~oOo~

Toshiro was in higher spirits for a while afterwards.

_I'm not arguing with the stupid dragon anymore._

"_I told you, I can only take that remark so many times, child."_

As a response, Toshiro mentally stuck out his tongue at Hyourinmaru, feeling childish.

Hyourinmaru gave a disgusted snort. _"You're acting like a child."_

"_I look like one, so I can get away with it."_

"_You won't fool me with that, child," _growled the dragon playfully.

Toshiro didn't dignify Hyourinmaru's comment with a response. Then, he remembered something.

_Oh! I should say thank you to Hinamori._

"_Yes, you should."_

"_Stop intruding on my thoughts, annoying dragon!"_

"_Tricky little dragon,"_ muttered Hyourinmaru. _"Using a different insult."_

~oOo~

Once he found Momo outside, he waved hello. Renji and Izuru were with her, laughing.

"Good evening, Hinamori," he greeted.

"Good morning, Hitsugaya-kun," she responded. The honorific she used for him was oddly embarrassing and he managed to keep his face from flaming.

"Oh, hey, Toshiro," said Renji casually as he usually did. Izuru, being his shy self, merely nodded to acknowledge his presence.

"Are you finished with your homework yet?" Toshiro asked, tilting his head. "I mean, we _do_ have a whole essay to write for Zanjutsu, you know?"

"I don't get the point of having written assignments for _Zanjutsu_ of all classes," Renji grumbled, which Toshiro took as a _no, I didn't do my homework._

Toshiro rolled his eyes. "Please, Kira, tell me that you were sensible enough to do it?"

Izuru laughed sheepishly.

"Hinamori, did you do it?"

Momo blushed.

Toshiro felt the urge to slam his face into the nearest wall.

"Well, er, you see, I was waiting for you to help me with it," said Momo. "I mean, you understand the concept of Zanjutsu so much better than I do, and, er, I don't understand what it means to connect fully with your Zanpakuto."

Toshiro considered that for a moment. It _was_ true that Momo didn't have an established connection with her Zanpakuto, just hearing his or her voice occasionally. Izuru and Renji had a shaky connection with theirs, but it wasn't that strong either.

Sighing, he rubbed his eyes. "Fine, I'll help you with your essays," he relented, and Renji cheered.

~oOo~

Renji and Izuru left the library after they were finished so that Momo could help Toshiro with his Kidou.

"No! You're saying the incantation wrong!" exclaimed Momo. "You're supposed to emphasize on the _last _line, not the second!"

Toshiro repeated it, rolling his eyes. "Fine, fine. _'Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! __**Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march onto the south!**__"_

He forced every word out for the last line. "Happy now?"

"Yes, Shiro-chan."

Toshiro choked.

What did she just call him?

In his inner world, Hyourinmaru rolled on the floor laughing, flapping his large icy wings.

Toshiro's face turned bright crimson.

"W-where the hell did that come from?" he demanded. "Snowy, really?"

Momo smiled warmly. "It suits you. It's cute and your hair is white."

_Did she really make the implication that I was cute, of all things?_

"_You are kind of adorable to people, you know."_

"_Oh shut up."_

Momo suddenly smirked. "If you don't perfect Shakkaho by the end of today, I'll permanently call you Shiro-chan."

Toshiro openly gaped at Momo. Blackmail? Really? And here he thought she was _nice_ of all things.

He glared at her. "Fine!"

Oddly enough, he perfected both Shakkaho and Sokatsui at the end of the day.

~oOo~

"_You never thanked her, Shiro-chan."_

"_Don't call me that, annoying dragon!"_

~oOo~

A few weeks later, he was placed into sixth year Shinigami Studies and Flash-step. He was raised to fourth year in Kidou, and it was steadily getting harder.

He had started learning Hadou #54 Haien in class, and Momo was helping refine the easier spells, and he truly appreciated it. In turn, he tutored her in Zanjutsu and thanked her for it.

~oOo~

He was over halfway into the year; seven months, to be exact. Surviving for five more months, and then he was on his way to the Eleventh Division. (Well, technically he'd skipped two months, so five months. Whatever.)

Toshiro walked to class, his schedule once again mutilated. He had Kidou, Flash-Step, lunch, Shinigami Studies, and Zanjutsu, in that order.

Fifth year Kidou was _hard._ In sixth year, he'd have to get a new teacher. Toshiro wondered how long it took for someone to master Kidou; he knew Momo had the skill, and that he didn't.

People were wondering just how he managed to get through so quickly. Well, he did have motivation, which he figured out was that he didn't want to be left behind by Momo, Renji, and Izuru, so he was moving up quicker.

His progress surprised Momo too.

~oOo~

"Do you need help again?" Toshiro asked, sighing as Renji sat down next to him during lunch.

"Yeah," said Renji with a laugh. Toshiro took a single glance at the paper and groaned.

"_Shinigami Studies?_ You came to me for help on the easiest subject?"

"Er, you know, most people think it's the hardest subject, you know."

"Nonsense. Kidou is _way_ harder," snorted Toshiro.

Renji thought for a moment. "I guess it is for some."

Izuru, after getting his lunch, sat down across from Renji. "Well, not everyone's a genius like you are, Toshiro," he commented.

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "_Genius?_ What has the gossip mill been saying about me now?"

Renji winced. "Are you sure you want to know…?"

Convinced something was up, Toshiro nodded. "What is it?"

At this time, Momo sat down next to Izuru, slamming her lunch tray on the table. Toshiro winced. Something pretty big must've happened if Momo was in a bad mood.

Anger was practically radiating off the girl, and Izuru unconsciously scooted away from her.

"Is there something wrong?" Toshiro asked tentatively.

"Those…those stupid _bitches!_" she spat vehemently.

Okay, something was definitely wrong.

"Do they really think that? Are they _stupid?_ Hitsugaya-kun is a nice person and they're maligning him behind his back, badmouthing him to other people and saying such… such…_terrible_ things about him!" Momo ranted, taking it out on a piece of sushi. He honestly felt pretty sorry for the food scrap as it was being shredded. "Do you know what they say about you?"

"Um, no. Renji was about to tell me, though," said Toshiro meekly, not wanting to infuriate his friend anymore. Poor Izuru looked ready to pass out.

"They say you're probably some rich kid who bought his way into school and that you're really just a stupid child who is fawned over by the teachers because you paid them! Some say that you're really a Hollow who's infiltrated the school, which is _stupid_. And…and…" Momo blushed furiously, "…and some even say you_ slept _your way through and that's stupid because you're obviously too young for this kind of thing!"

Massive as his intellect was, it took him a few moments to register what Momo had just said and she was shoving food into her mouth rapidly. Noticing he'd left his alone, he picked up a piece and said, "Okay."

"It is not okay!" snapped Momo.

Sometime during Momo's rant, Izuru had fled, terrified of his friend's anger. (Rage was more like it.)

"Yeah, I was about to tell you but without all the screaming," Renji muttered, looking around.

Toshiro just realized that people were staring and were backing away because of Momo's outrage. He could _feel_ the anger radiating off of Momo.

"Calm down, Momo," Toshiro said, raising his hands in a placating manner. "Yelling at us won't solve anything."

Momo took a deep breath. "I know, sorry. Did Izuru-kun leave?"

Toshiro nodded. "He was scared of your…_outburst._"

She blushed. "Oh, oops. But those things they said…"

"It's okay, it's okay!" said Toshiro frantically, waving his arms. "No need to go on another tirade," he muttered privately.

"_She really cares about you, child."_

"_I know, I know. Like a mother hen."_

"_I was thinking more along the lines of 'lover.'"_

"_Hyourinmaru!"_

He fought down a blush, squirming uncomfortably in his seat.

"Is there something wrong, Hitsugaya-kun?" asked Momo, tilting her head. "Is it the rumors?"

Toshiro shook his head. "No, just…something Hyourinmaru said."

Renji rolled his eyes. "And about the homework I asked you to help me with?"

"Oh! Okay, I'll help you."

~oOo~

"Hey, Toshiro?"

Toshiro looked up to see Renji standing in front of him, taking a seat across from him. The shorter one cracked open a book, flipping the pages.

"Yes?"

"Do you know what Division you want to join?"

"The Eleventh," was his immediate response.

Renji looked at him in surprise. "The _Eleventh?_ Wouldn't you be better suited for, I don't know, a less _wild_ Division?"

"If it's wild you're looking for, I can be worse than Kusajishi-san."

"Kusajishi, Kusajishi…who's that? Oh wait, you mean Lieutenant _Yachiru Kusajishi?_"

"Yes, why?"

"I don't know, Toshiro…she's pretty crazy."

"Yes, I know. I've been in her presence before, Renji. Hers and Zaraki-san's."

"Wait, you know them?"

"Yes, I do," he said, sighing. "Zaraki-san was my first mentor. Crazy teacher, he was. Tried to kill me as training, but not seriously."

Renji stared at him. "You're so lucky."

Toshiro groaned. "I know right," he said sarcastically.

~oOo~

I hope you enjoyed that chapter!

I NEED A BETA!

Thank you.


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